Queen’s cousin to be sentenced for sexual assault in ancestral home
Assault happened in February 2020
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One of the Queen’s relatives, who admitted to sexually assaulting a woman, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.
The Earl of Strathmore, Simon Bowes-Lyon, 34, admitted that he had attacked a woman at his ancestral home in Scotland. The incident happened in February last year and involved a 26-year-old woman.
Bowes-Lyon, a cousin of the Queen, was initially granted bail and placed on the Sex Offenders Register. He is up for sentencing on Tuesday which will take place in Dundee Sheriff Court.
The incident happened in a bedroom at Glamis Castle in Angus, the court heard.
The castle is the seat of the family that the late Queen Mother was a part of, the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
Bowes-Lyon said he was “greatly ashamed” of his actions, adding that he had “apologised quickly to the woman concerned.”
He said he was “deeply sorry” for his behaviour and the “anguish” it had caused, adding: “I would also like to apologise to family, friends and colleagues for the distress I have caused them.”
The Queen’s cousin cited drinking “to excess” as a reason for the incident but went on to say that consumption of alcohol was “no excuse” for his actions.
He added: “I did not think I was capable of behaving the way I did but have had to face up to it and take responsibility. Over the last year this has involved seeking and receiving professional help as well as agreeing to plead guilty as quickly as possible.”